CPI-M eyes New Delhi for socialistic system

By Soma Mitra Kolkata, Jan 13 (ANI): Eyeing power at the Centre, former West Bengal Chief Minister and veteran CPI-M leader Jyoti Basu today set a bigger goal ‘Mission Delhi’ for his comrades, saying that Left parties must capture power at the Centre to bring about a socialistic system. Observing that “Socialism” was his party’s goal, Basu said it would remain a distant dream as long as Communists were in power only in three states, viz West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala. “For setting up a socialistic system, Left parties needed to be in power in Center,” he said while addressing a huge rally at Brigade Parade Ground here. A large number of CPI-M supporters turned out at the rally organised ahead of the 22nd West Bengal State Party conference held every three years. In his address at the rally, CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat announced the possibility of a Third Front to counter the Congress and the BJP. He said a Third Front would be possible only when the unity of the Left Front was strengthened. Expressing his concerns over differences among the Left Front allies in West Bengal, Karat said: “Fissure in the Left unity would only give a boost to the opposition.” The party general secretary also criticised the Congress-led UPA Government for “not following” the Common Minimum Program on various counts. He reminded the Congress that the Left was supporting the UPA government from outside only because of “compulsion.” “Otherwise a communal party, BJP, would have come to power,” he said. Speaking at the rally, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya said that his government was committed to industrialisation. He said any investment, be it Tata, Birla or American investment, “are welcome as long as they generate jobs and benefit the State.” “West Bengal had shown a massive growth in agriculture, but that did not mean industrialisation was not required,” he said, adding that industrialisation was required for job generation for engineers, technicians and for a huge educated unemployed youth. The CPI-M-led State government has faced criticism from its allies, including the RSP and the Forward Block, over the issue of land acquisition in Singur and Nandigram. (ANI)